Polonaise Carpet

first half 17th century

Probably Isfahan 17th Century

Associated Names
Isfahan 17th Century

Artist

This is a photograph of a Persian rug. The rug has detailed floral and geometric patterns in earthy tones such as gold, brown, and green, with accents of blue, ivory, and red. The design is symmetrical, centered around a medallion-like form, with repeating motifs and interlacing shapes that add depth and texture. The borders frame the central pattern with complementary designs.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    silk pile and metal brocade on cotton warp and cotton and silk weft

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (height by width at top): 405 x 178 cm (159 7/16 x 70 1/16 in.)
    overall (height by width at bottom): 405 x 178 cm (159 7/16 x 70 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.473

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Peter A. B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, by 1910; inheritance from Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania; gift 1942 to NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1910

  • Loan Exhibition of Early Oriental Rugs, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1910-1911, 48, no. 39, repro. (cat. by Wilhelm R. Valentiner).

1940

  • Exhibition of Persian Art, The Iranian Institute, New York, 1940, 63, Gallery 4, no. 10, (Guide by Phyllis Ackerman).

1973

  • Shah 'Abbas and the Arts of Isfahan, Asia House Gallery, New York; The Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1973-1974, 43 and 69, no. 28, repro. (cat. by Anthony Welch).

Bibliography

1911

  • Ruge, Klara. "Die Ausstellung alter orientalischer Teppiche im Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York." Kunst und Kunsthandwerk 14 (1911): 214, fig. 6.

1935

  • Inventory of the Objects d'Art at Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, The Estate of the Late P.A.B. Widener. Philadelphia, 1935: 129.

1938

  • Pope, Arthur Upham, with Phyllis Ackerman, eds. A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present. 9 vols. London and New York, 1938-1939: 3:2394-2395; 4:pl. 1247.

1959

  • Dilley, Arthur U. Oriental Rugs and Carpets. A Comprehensive Study. New York and London, 1931: pl. 14. Rev. ed. Philadelphia, 1959.

1968

  • Spuhler, Friedrich-Karl, "Seidene Repräsentationsteppiche der mittleren bis späten Safawidenzeit: Die sog. Polenteppiche." Ph.D. dissertation, Free University of Berlin, 1968: 200-201, no. 104.

1973

  • Shah 'Abbas and the Arts of Isfahan. Exh. cat. Asia House Gallery, New York; Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1973-1974: 19, 69, no. 28, repro. (cat. by Anthony Welch).

1997

  • Torchia, Robert Wilson. "Widener's Gift." Hali 92 (May 1997): 88-97, 120, fig. 3.

1998

  • Bower, Virginia, Josephine Hadley Knapp, Stephen Little, and Robert Wilson Torchia. Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings; Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, D.C., 1998: 294-298, color repro.

Wikidata ID

Q62268463

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